Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yucheng Wang, Mikkel Winther Pedersen, Inger Greve Alsos, Bianca De Sanctis, Fernando Racimo, Ana Prohaska, Eric Coissac, Hannah Lois Owens, Marie Kristine Foreid Merkel, Antonio Fernandez-Guerra, Alexandra Rouillard, Youri Lammers, Adriana Alberti, France Denoeud, Daniel Money, Anthony H. Ruter, Hugh McColl, Nicolaj Krog Larsen, Anna A. Cherezova, Mary E. Edwards, Grigory B. Fedorov, James Haile, Ludovic Orlando, Lasse Vinner, Thorfinn Sand Korneliussen, David W. Beilman, Anders A. Bjork, Jialu Cao, Christoph Dockter, Julie Esdale, Galina Gusarova, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Jan Mangerud, Jeffrey T. Rasic, Birgitte Skadhauge, John Inge Svendsen, Alexei Tikhonov, Patrick Wincker, Yingchun Xing, Yubin Zhang, Duane G. Froese, Carsten Rahbek, David Bravo Nogues, Philip B. Holden, Neil R. Edwards, Richard Durbin, David J. Meltzer, Kurt H. Kjaer, Per Moller, Eske Willerslev
Summary: A large-scale metagenomic analysis of plant and mammal environmental DNA in the circumpolar region over the past 50,000 years shows complex ecological changes, including the extinction of large mammals postglacially and the emergence of modern ecosystems. The study provides insights into the long-term dynamics of Arctic biota at both circumpolar and regional scales, highlighting the power of ancient environmental metagenomics analyses in understanding population histories and long-term ecological dynamics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takahiro Segawa, Takahiro Yonezawa, Hiroshi Mori, Ayumi Akiyoshi, Morten E. Allentoft, Ayako Kohno, Fuyuki Tokanai, Eske Willerslev, Naoki Kohno, Hidenori Nishihara
Summary: The biogeography of brown bears in the Japanese Archipelago was significantly affected by sea-level fluctuations, with evidence showing at least two migration events from the Eurasian continent to Honshu. Glacial-age sea-level falls may have facilitated mammalian migrations more frequently than previously thought, impacting ecosystem dynamics on these isolated islands.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Alexander J. F. Verry, Kieren J. Mitchell, Nicolas J. Rawlence
Summary: The study suggests that the eastern moa survived during the Last Glacial Maximum in a restricted area of the southern South Island of New Zealand and experienced an increase in population size and genetic diversity in the post-LGM period. The research also supports the hypothesis that the eastern moa expanded from a single glacial refugium following the LGM, with higher genetic diversity found in the southern extent of their range.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Olga A. Filatova, Ivan D. Fedutin, Ekaterina A. Borisova, Ilya G. Meschersky, Erich Hoyt
Summary: This study examined the genetic and vocal variation in resident killer whales from Nemuro Strait in the western North Pacific. The results showed significant differences in mtDNA control region haplotypes and stereotyped calls between the Nemuro population and those from Kamchatka and the adjacent western North Pacific. This suggests that Nemuro Strait represents a separate maternal lineage and supports the existence of a southwestern glacial refugium for killer whales during the Last Glacial Maximum.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Anna S. Molodtseva, Alexey Makunin, Valentina V. Salomashkina, Ilya G. Kichigin, Nadezhda V. Vorobieva, Sergey K. Vasiliev, Mikhail Shunkov, Alexey A. Tishkin, Sergey P. Grushin, Peeter Anijalg, Egle Tammeleht, Marju Keis, Gennady G. Boeskorov, Nikolai Mamaev, Innokenty M. Okhlopkov, Alexey P. Kryukov, Elena A. Lyapunova, Marina Kholodova, Ivan Seryodkin, Urmas Saarma, Vladimir A. Trifonov, Alexander S. Graphodatsky
Summary: The brown bear is an iconic carnivore in the Northern Hemisphere, with mitochondrial research showing South Siberia as a refuge for Eurasian brown bears, further confirming the hypothesis of multiple migration waves in the Pleistocene.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yaroslav Kuzmin, Sergey Leshchinskiy, Vasily N. Zenin, Elena M. Burkanova, Elya P. Zazovskaya, Aleksandra S. Samandrosova
Summary: This article presents the chronology of the notable paleontological and archaeological site of Volchia Griva in the southern part of the West Siberian Plain. Through 14C dating, the ages of animal bones from three stratigraphic levels have been established. It is suggested that Upper Paleolithic people inhabited the site during the second part of the Last Glacial Maximum, indicating their adaptation to the cold and dry climate in the region.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Ting Wang, Na Wang, Dabang Jiang
Summary: We investigate changes in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) during the last glacial maximum (LGM) using multiple simulations. Most models show that the LGM ITCZ shifts southward, narrows, and weakens on a global scale. Regionally, the central and eastern Pacific show the largest position and intensity changes, while the Indian Ocean-western Pacific experience the most obvious width changes. The September-October-November and June-July-August seasons contribute the most to the annual ITCZ changes globally and in most regions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Matthew Adesanya Adeleye, Simon Graeme Haberle, David McWethy, Simon Edward Connor, Janelle Stevenson
Summary: The study reconstructed vegetation, fire regimes, and lake levels changes on the Bassian Land Bridge during the Last Glacial Maximum using pollen, charcoal, and non-pollen palynomorph analysis. Results showed a major shift in vegetation with grassland expanding at the expense of woodland and dryland herbaceous taxa dispersed between the mainland and Tasmania during periods of low sea levels when the land bridge was fully exposed. The findings suggest that the prevailing environment on the land bridge had a selective influence on biotic dispersals in Australia during glacial periods.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diyendo Massilani, Mike W. Morley, Susan M. Mentzer, Vera Aldeias, Benjamin Vernot, Christopher Miller, Mareike Stahlschmidt, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Michael Shunkov, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Nicholas J. Conard, Sarah Wurz, Christopher S. Henshilwood, Javi Vasquez, Elena Essel, Sarah Nagel, Julia Richter, Birgit Nickel, Richard G. Roberts, Svante Paeaebo, Viviane Slon, Paul Goldberg, Matthias Meyer
Summary: DNA preserved in ancient sediments can provide valuable genetic information about past hominin and environmental diversity. This study demonstrates that resin-impregnated archaeological sediment blocks can effectively preserve DNA from hominins and other mammals. Microsampling analysis of sediment blocks from Denisova Cave reveals significant variation in the taxonomic composition of mammalian DNA at a millimeter-scale, with DNA concentrated in small particles such as bone and feces fragments. The study also successfully extracts Neanderthal DNA from a sediment block, closely related to a previously recovered Neanderthal toe bone.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
J. M. Lora, C. B. Skinner, W. D. Rush, S. H. Baek
Summary: Proxy reconstructions and model simulations show that the hydroclimate during the Last Glacial Maximum was mainly influenced by ice sheets, causing reductions in moisture transport and precipitation globally, except for increases in precipitation over Patagonia, Iberia, and southwestern North America.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Minda Moriah Monteagudo, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Thomas M. Marchitto, Matthew W. Schmidt
Summary: This study reveals that the central equatorial Pacific cooled by about 2.0 degrees Celsius during the Last Glacial Maximum, contradicting previous estimates but aligning with climate models. This suggests a larger magnitude of cooling in the tropical region during the LGM, implying a higher equilibrium climate sensitivity.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
April S. Dalton, Chris R. Stokes, Christine L. Batchelor
Summary: By synthesizing geochronological data, stratigraphic and geomorphological data, as well as numerical modeling output, we reconstructed the Laurentide and Innuitian ice sheets during the last glacial cycle. Our findings suggest that there were multiple cycles of rapid ice sheet growth and decay in different areas of North America between 115 ka and 25 ka, leading to significant changes in global mean sea level and landscape evolution.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Adriano Ribolini, Matteo Spagnolo, Andrew J. Cyr, Paolo Roberto Federici
Summary: This study investigates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the early retreat glacial phases in the Stura Valley of the Maritime Alps through the combination of geomorphologic surveys, glacial modelling, and 10Be exposure ages of boulders on moraines. The research reveals a consistent glacial response in the Maritime Alps to climatic forcing, with minimal variation in the mass balance of glaciers. The study also confirms the synchronicity of LGM recessional standstills or readvances in the Southern Alps.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jing Lei, Zhengguo Shi, Xiaoning Xie, Xinzhou Li
Summary: Based on climate model experiments, this study found that the precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was significantly different from that of the preindustrial period in the terrestrial monsoon regions and arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The decrease in sea surface temperature and expansion of the ice sheet were the main contributors to lessening precipitation in the monsoon regions, while the decrease in precipitation in the arid regions can be mainly attributed to ice-sheet-induced albedo and topography changes.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
J. R. Jones, A. B. Marin-Arroyo, M. S. Corchon Rodriguez, M. P. Richards
Summary: The study used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the niches, habitats, and availability of prey during the Late Upper Palaeolithic in Europe. It found changes in animal behavior and environmental conditions during different periods, leading to adjustments in human hunting strategies and increased connectivity across regions. This highlights the complex interactions between humans, animals, and environments in response to rapidly changing environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
A. Wereszczuk, A. Fedotova, A. Marciszak, M. Popiolek, A. Zharova, A. Zalewski
Summary: Climate and environmental changes have an impact on the morphology and ecology of pine martens, with different responses observed across species. Warmer and less snowy winters lead to an increase in body size, while changes in primary productivity affect skull structure. Over time, the population sex ratio of pine martens has skewed towards males.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Matus Hyzny, Ewa Swidnicka, Zoltan Barkaszi, Anatoly Berezovsky, Simina Dumitriu, Ionut Gradianu, Rok Gasparic, Tomas Prikryl, Krzysztof Stefaniak
Summary: Decapod taxa found in Oligocene and Early Miocene fish beds of the Central and Eastern Paratethys were studied to understand the taphonomic features at different locations. The preserved crabs were mostly complete individuals with some locations showing more moults. This suggests calm depositional conditions and different crab behaviors at burial sites.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Maciej Sykut, Slawomira Pawelczyk, Natalia Piotrowska, Krzysztof Stefaniak, Bogdan Ridush, Daniel Makowiecki, Pavel Kosintsev, Barbara Wilkens, Tomasz Borowik, Ralph Fyfe, Jessie Woodbridge, Magdalena Niedzialkowska
Summary: Through the analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in 68 red deer bone samples from Europe and Asia, it was found that the feeding habits of red deer are related to environmental conditions such as forest cover, mean July temperature, annual precipitation, and altitude. Red deer shifted their feeding habitats in response to environmental oscillations over the last 50,000 years, with modern red deer populations inhabiting the most densely forested areas.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Mateusz Baca, Danijela Popovic, Anna Lemanik, Sandra Banuls-Cardona, Nicholas J. Conard, Gloria Cuenca-Bescos, Emmanuel Desclaux, Helen Fewlass, Jesus T. Garcia, Tereza Hadravova, Gerald Heckel, Ivan Horacek, Monika Vlasta Knul, Loic Lebreton, Juan Manuel Lopez-Garcia, Elisa Luzi, Zoran Markovic, Jadranka Mauch Lenardic, Xabier Murelaga, Pierre Noiret, Alexandru Petculescu, Vasil Popov, Sara E. Rhodes, Bogdan Ridush, Aurelien Royer, John R. Stewart, Joanna Stojak, Sahra Talamo, Xuejing Wang, Jan M. Wojcik, Adam Nadachowski
Summary: This study investigated the population dynamics of the common vole and found that the decrease in open habitat during the last glacial period was the main factor affecting their populations. Climate deterioration during the Last Glacial Maximum had little impact on their population dynamics.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Adrian Marciszak, Dmitry Ivanoff, Yuriy A. Semenov, Sahra Talamo, Bogdan Ridush, Alina Stupak, Yevheniia Yanish, Oleksandr Kovalchuk
Summary: The fossil record of the cave lion suggests a gradual decrease in body size, calling for further investigation. Analysis of cave lion fossils in Ukraine supports the trend of decreasing size, with acceleration during the late stage. The subfossil records of the extant lion in Ukraine most likely represent the Persian lion.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Andrzej Wisniewski, Jaroslaw Wilczynski, Boguslaw Przybylski, Magdalena Ciombor, Krzysztof Stefaniak
Summary: This study examines the accumulation of mammalian remains at the Haller Av. site in southwestern Poland and finds that only the bison remains are spatially correlated with human activity, suggesting the presence of a Neanderthal hunting site with in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Mateusz Baca, Danijela Popovic, Alexander K. Agadzhanyan, Katarzyna Baca, Nicholas J. Conard, Helen Fewlass, Thomas Filek, Michal Golubinski, Ivan Horacek, Monika V. Knul, Magdalena Krajcarz, Maria Krokhaleva, Loic Lebreton, Anna Lemanik, Lutz C. Maul, Doris Nagel, Pierre Noiret, Jerome Primault, Leonid Rekovets, Sara E. Rhodes, Aurelien Royer, Natalia V. Serdyuk, Marie Soressi, John R. Stewart, Tatiana Strukova, Sahra Talamo, Jaroslaw Wilczynski, Adam Nadachowski
Summary: By studying the ancient mitochondrial genomes of narrow-headed voles from Europe and Asia, the researchers found that the evolution of narrow-headed voles and collared lemings was influenced by climate fluctuations. They also identified time-structured mtDNA lineages in European narrow-headed voles during the Late Pleistocene, which helped explain the drivers of dynamics in steppe- and cold-adapted species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Letizia Ceregatti, Claudio Berto, Helen Fewlass, Mateusz Baca, Elisa Luzi, Greta Brancaleoni, Andrea Pereswiet-Soltan, Marco Peresani
Summary: Recent advances in paleoecological reconstruction methods, collagen extraction of small bone samples, and ancient DNA analyses have led to new approaches to improve the chronological resolution of climate reconstructions from small mammal assemblages. Through the study of Grotta della Ferrovia in Italy, it was found that the climate in the area gradually shifted from a cold phase to conditions similar to the present during the Late Epigravettian.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Biology
Adrian Marciszak, Aleksandra Kropczyk, Wiktoria Gornig, Krzysztof Demidziuk, Dariusz Nowakowski
Summary: The Radochowska Cave is famous for the discovery of a cave bear skull that was intentionally placed in a stone cage by Paleolithic hunters, possibly as evidence of a bear hunting cult. However, critical analysis has not provided a definitive answer regarding the occurrence of this phenomenon. The research is hampered by the loss of a large part of the collection after World War II. Nonetheless, the remaining specimens, especially those of predatory mammals, have allowed for the verification of old fauna lists and the identification of new species previously unknown in the Polish Sudetes region.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Adrian Marciszak, Aleksandra Kropczyk, Wiktoria Gornig, Malgorzata Kot, Adam Nadachowski, Grzegorz Lipecki
Summary: The remains of 12 canids from different species have been discovered at various paleontological sites in Poland, with the oldest fossils dating back approximately 4.9 million years. These sites span different geological ages, with the Late Pleistocene-Holocene age having the highest number of fossil sites. Some canid species, such as Eucyon and Nyctereutes, disappeared from Poland in the Early Pleistocene, while other species from the genera Lycaon, Canis, and Vulpes were found in multiple sites from the past 2 million years. The presence of two new canid species in Poland, Nyctereutes procyonoides and Canis aureus, can be attributed to either human introduction or natural expansion.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adam Nadachowski, Anna Lemanik, Laure Fontana, Danijela Popovic, Michal Golubinski, Barbara Bujalska, Mateusz Baca
Summary: Taxonomic decisions in paleontology based on morphological features alone may lead to false descriptions of new species. In the study, ancient DNA analysis revealed that the supposed new vole species "Microtus (Sumeriomys) bifrons" from the Late Pleistocene site in France actually belonged to the dominant species Stenocranius anglicus and/or Microtus arvalis. This highlights the importance of using ancient DNA to resolve taxonomic problems and classify fossil mammals.